Lock mechanism



April 4, 1967 L. A. NTo-NloLl LOCK MECHANISM Filed Aug. 9, 1965 INVENTOR Louis A. Antonioli United States Patent O 3,312,494 LOCK MECHANISM Louis A. Antonioli, 2504 Autumn Wood Drive, Glenshaw, Pa. 15116 Filed Aug. 9, 1965, Ser. No. 478,280 8 Claims. (Cl. 292-281) The present invention relates to locks and more particularly to a lock mechanism which can be secured or locked in either the open or closed position thereof.

In public buildings, places of entertainment and the like where crowds of people congregate, it is ma-ndatory and is so required by applicable building codes that exit doors to such buildings open outwardly. Where such doors are usually latched, it is required that crowd or mob pressure will cause them to be unlatched and to open for safety purposes in cases of emergency. VThe well-known form of safety latch, the panic bolt or bar, is found in virtually every public building. A problem arises, however, during the hours when the building is not occupied by the public. It is necessary at these times that the exit doors be affirmatively secured both as to outside access and to inside eXit.

The reasons for locking the door from the outside are, of course, obvious. While ordinary hardware can be installed to lock the door from the outside when the building is closed to the public, it is diiiicult and time-consuming to carefully inspect each door to be certain that the exit doors are locked properly. One form of such hardware includes a concealed bolt or dead latch operated by a key or the like. Such hardware is not approved by fire departments or by state and local building codes in most areas for the reason that it is impossible for the fire marshall or other oticial to make a prompt, visual inspection and to be certain that every door is unlocked prior to public use of the building.

Another problem arises from the fact that it is comi mon practice to have maintenance people within the building during the hours when it is closed to the public. In order to ensure controlled access and to prevent pilfering and the like, it is necessary to have the exit doors, in addition,` secured from the inside. Accordingly, it is the usual practice in most large public buildings to provide some means for locking or securing the exit doors from the inside also. An obvious means for accomplishing this is to employ the aforementioned hardware on the inside of the door which is, of course, quite expensive in the duplication of outside and inside locks. Moreover, such inside locks would not be approved for the reasons mentioned previously. Another such means, commonly used where double doors are installed in a single exit opening, is to wrap a length of chain or the like around the adjacent end portions of the panic bars installed on such doors and to secure the ends of the chain with a pad-lock or the like so that the double doors cannot be opened from either the outside or the inside. This arrangement does, of course, permit prompt visual inspection of the doors before the building is opened to the public. However, it is virtually impossible to install the locked chain without leaving suiiicient slack therein which permits opening the doors from the inside a small but suicient distance that complete opening thereof `can then be forced from the outside by the insertion of appropriate tools, or that small articles of value can be pilfered by being passed through the small opening to a confederate outside. Such opening or attempts at opening naturally causes damage to the doors and to the panic bars. In many c-ases, moreover, the chains are not removed when the building is opened to the public but are unlocked and left on the panic bars for future use. Their presence confuses the public regarding the availability of those exits for use. Pipes and bars are sometimes wedged be- 3 ,3 12,494 Patented Apr. 4, 1967 ICC hind the panic bars or are laid on brackets secured to the inside of the doors. These, however, imperfectly secure the exit doors and only against outside access, and moreover, can be negligently placed in position after the building has been opened to the public, so that quick emergency exit or access is denied.

Of course, the panic bar structure itself could be locked or dogged in an inoperative position to prevent actuation of the top and bottom latches to release the door; however, such clogging devices are not usually permitted by the iire departments or the applicable building codes, and for this reason, panic bolts or bars are not available corn-` mercially with such locks.

I solve the foregoing difficulties and problems with the provision of a novel and efficient safety lock the operating parts of which can be locked in both the locked and unlocked positions thereof. Moreover, my lock mechanism is effective in securing either single or double doors from both the outside and the inside without the employment of duplicative locks. Inasmuch as the lock mechanism provided by this invention can be readily ascertained to be either in the locked or unlocked position thereof by casual, visual inspection it can be employed safely in conjunction with panic hardware installed on exit doors of public buildings, and has been so approved for such use in one metropolitan area of the country.

In furtherance of this purpose, the latch member of my safety lock is automatically moved to its open position where it is retained by detent means, when the latch member is unlocked at its locked position. In the event of failure of such `detent means, my safety lock is further arranged to cause the latch member to drop to its open position by gravity. vMeans are provided by my lock mechanism for locking the mechanism in the open position of its latch member so that exit doors on which my safety lock is utilized cannot be inadvertently locked after the fire marshalls inspection, or otherwise tampered with by unauthorized persons.

The aforementioned visual inspection of the door hardware is facilitated in accordance with another feature of my lock mechanism which exposes the legends eXit open or exit closed by the opening and closing movements respectively of the latch member, to provide position notiication of the accessability of the door. These legends afford the possibility of a quick visual inspection and eliminate any doubt or confusion as to the availability of the Vdoor for exit use. This eliminates the possibility of human failure to maintain and know positively at all times thatthe emergency doors are open for exit and public safety.

The rugged construction of the safety lock maintains a rigid door closing to afford complete security and reduces door hardware cost and maintenance. The lock mechanism has few component parts of simple design to afford low initial construction and installation costs. The lock can be readily manufactured in various sizes for particular applications and can 'be readily installed by building maintenance personnel. The safety lock can be constructed for either a detaching padlock or an integral key lock.

The foregoing are accomplished by my invention which provides a pair of base plates for mounting on the door portions to be locked against movement, a latch member is pivotally mounted on one of the base plates for movement generally parallel to the other of said base plates, a latch cover plate spacedly mounted on the other base plate to receive the latch plate between the cover and the associated base plate, and a keeper on the latch member which is alignable with sim-ilar keepers on the cover plate and on the first-mentioned base plate at the closed and open positions of the latch member respectively.

Desirably, the aforementioned pivot mounting can be spring loaded to ensure return of the latch member to its open position Where it can be secured, if desired, vby suitable `detent means. In still other arrangements of my lock mechanism the one or more legends, closed, can be embossed or lprinted upon the first-mentioned base plate and disposed such that they will be covered by the latch member in its open position and uncovered at the closed position thereof, while one or more legends, open, can Ibe embossed or printed upon the latch mem- :ber at posit-ions where they will be covered by the aforef said spaced cover plate or by an auxiliary cover plate stationarily mounted on the first-mentioned base, at the closed position of the latch member and uncovered at its open position.

Means are also provided for spacing one or both of the base plates from the door surfaces to permit the passage of exposed operating rods for panic hardware, when my safety lock is employed therewith.

These and other objects, features, and advantages of the invention together With structural details thereof will be elaborated upon during the following description of a presently preferred embodiment thereof.

In the accompanying drawings I have vshown a presently preferred embodiment `of the invention wherein:

FIGURE l is a front elevational view of one form of safety lock mechanism arranged in accordance with my invention;

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of the safety lock shown in FIGURE l FIGURE 3 is a side elevational view of the safety lock shown in FIGURE l;

FIGURE 4 is a partial, vertically sectional view of the safety lock in its open position and taken along reference plane IV--IV of FIGURE 5;

FIGURE 5 is a top, left side and front isometric view of the safety lock in its open position; and,

. FIGURE 6 is a top, left side and front isometric view of the safety lock -in its closed position.

Referring now more particularly to FIGURES 1 to 4 of the drawings, the safety lock mechanism in this example, includes a pair of base members or plates 10 and 12 which are mounted respectively adjacent the confronting edges of a doorway structure represented here by the kbroken away double door portions 14 and 16. Although thus shown with respect to a double door exit opening, itis to be understood that the base plates 10 and 12 can be similarly mounted with respect to confronting edge portions of a door and door jamb Irespectively of a single door opening. In this example, the base plates 10 and 12 are spaced from the adjacent surfaces of the doors 14 land 16 by end mounting brackets 18 which are formed or shaped integrally with the respective base plates 10 and 12. Each of the brackets 18 has a centrally disposed ,aperture 20 extending through the horizontal portion 22 thereof, as viewed in the drawings. The apertures 20 of the. mounting brackets of each fbase plate 10 or 12 are thereby aligned to, admit the passage of an exposed operating bar 24 of associated panic hardware, if so used. However, when the safety lock is installed on doors with concealed hardware the upright portions 22 of the brackets 18xcan be omitted and the base plates 10 and 12 mounted flushly upon the associated door structure. In either case, the base plates 10 and 12 are secured to thel doorsv 14 and 16 by means of suitable fasteners 26 inserted through appropriate openings therefor in the end brackets 18 and in the base plates proper. Where the base plates 10 and 12 are spaced from the door surfaces, as shown lin the drawings, the central fasteners 26a are passed through Ispacers 27,`respectively (FIGURE 3). For maximum security, in the case of metal doors 14 and 16, the fasteners 26 can take the form of explosive rivets, of known construction.

Mounted on one of the base plates, for example the base plate 12,.is a` pivotally secured latch member or plate 28 as better shown in FIGURE 4. The latch member 28 is rotatably mounted upon stub shaft such as a relatively `short stud screw 30 which -is threaded and staked to the base plate 12 as denoted by reference character 32. Cooperative spring receiving recesses 34 and 36 are formed respectively in the confronting surfaces of the latch member 28 and the base plate 12. Desirably, the recesses 34 and 36 extend concentrically about the pivot shaft or stud screw 30. The pivot acti-on of the latch plate 28 is spring loaded by means of biasing means such as a coil spring 38 housed within the recesses 34 and 36 and having its ends 40 secured in `suitable apertures therefor in the latch member 28 and in the base plate 12, respectively.

The spring 38 in this example, is Wound so as to impart a counter-clockwise biasing force to the pivoted latch member 28 so that when the latch member -is released from the base plate 10 and associated structure, the latch member pivots counter-clockwise to a vertical position in alignment with the base plate 12. This constitutes the open position of the latch mechanism. Keepers 42 and and 44yare mounted on the lateral edge portions respectively of the latch member 28 and the base plate 12. The keepers 42 and 44 desirably are mounted equidistantly relative to the pivot shaft 30 so they are alignable at the open position of the latch member 28, as shown in FIG- URE 5 of the drawings. The base plate keeper 44 also acts as a stop for the counter-clockwise pivotal action of the latch member when the keeper 44 is engaged by the latch keeper 42 at the open position of the latch member.

With the arrangement as shown, the latch member will also fall by gravity to its open position (FIGURE 5) in the event of failure or other malfunctioning of the pivot spring 38. When returned to its open position the latch member 28 is secured therein by suitable detent means such as the spring loaded ball detent` arrangement de noted generally by reference character 41 and mounted in the base plate 12. The ball detent 41 cooperates with a recess 43 which is formed in the underside of the latch member 28 and which is alignable with the ball detent 41 at the fully opened position of the latch member. The latch member 28 can be airmatively locked vin its open position, when desired or required, by suitable 'securance means such as a padlock having its staple portion passedthrough -apertures 45 and 47 of the keepers 42 and 44.

In the closed position of the latch member 28 the outer or free end portion thereof passes under a cover member or plate 46 which is secured to an extension 48 of the horizontal portion 22 of the associated end bracket 18, as better shown in FIGURES 5 and 6. The cover plate 46 when thus secured is spaced Ia distance 50 from the base plate 10, which is slightly greater than the thickness of the latch member 28, and the base plates 10 and 12. and pivotal path of the latch member are aligned so that in the closed position of the latch member, the end portion of the latter can be readily inserted into the space 50 between the cover plate 46 and the base plate 10.

At its lower edge, the cover plate 46 is provided with a keeper 52, and the base plates 10 and 12 are mounted with respect to one another such that the keeper 52 is spaced the same distance from the pivot shaft 30 as in the case of the laforedescribed keepers 42 and 44.' Thus, at the closed position of the latch member 28, the keepers 42 and 52 of the latch member and cover plate `46 are aligned together with their apertures 45 `and 53 respectively, and suitable securance means such as la padlock can be inserted through the aligned lapertures 45 and 53.

Referring now to FIGURES 5 and 6 of the drawings it will be seen that suitable access indicating legends, denoted by reference characters 54-60, are respectively inscribed upon the base plates 10 and 12 and the latch member 28. As seen in FIGURE 6, when the latch plate 28 is in its closed position, the exit closed legends 54, 56 are .made completely visible by movement of the latch member 28. On the other hand, as seen from FIGURE 5, the latch member 28 has inscribed thereon a legend 58, open, which is similarly positioned with respect to the closed legend 56 so that the combined legends 54, 58 read exit open at the open position of the latch member. When the latch member is moved to its closed position, its open legend 58 is, of course, completely covered by the cover plate 46 so that the exit closed legend appears as in FIGURE 6.

With this arrangement, a rapid visual inspection can be made of all the many exit openings in a large public building to ascertain that all o-f the lock mechanisms thereon are in the open position before admitting the public to the building. To prevent tampering, the latch member 28 of each lock mechanism can be locked in its open position as shown in FIGURE 5 by means of a padlock or the like as aforesaid. It is contemplated, alternatively, that a key type lock can be -mounted in a conventional manner at each of the stationary keepers 52 and 44 so as to lock the latch keeper 42 thereto in the closed and open positions respectively of the latch member 28.

In order to make the accessability of the doors 14 and 16 as an exit even more obvious, an additional open legend 60 can be inscribed at the upper or pivot end of the latch member 28, as viewed in FIGURE 5 of the drawings. VThis second open legend is concealed, at the vclosed'position of the latch member (FIGURE 6) behind a shield plate 62 which is stationarily secured to the outer end of the pivot shaft 30, as by welding. The shield plate 62 also serves to retain the latch member 28 on the pivot shaft 30, in this example.

From the foregoing it will be evident that novel and eilicient forms of locking mechanism have been disclosed herein. While I have shown and described certain presently preferred embodiments of the invention, it is to be -distinctly understood that the invention is not limited thereto, but may be otherwise variously embodied within the scope of the following claims. For example, the biasing means 38 and detent means obviously can be associated with the closed position of the latch member 28, in -certain applications not related to public exit doorways.

Moreover, it is to be understood that certain features of the invention can be employed advantageously without a corresponding use of other features thereof.

I claim:

1. In a locking mechanism, the combination comprising a pair of base members, means for mounting said base members adjacent the confronting edges of a doorway structure which are to be secured against relative movement, a latch member pivotally secured on one of said base members for pivotal movement along a path eX- tending across the other of said base members when so mounted, a cover member spacedly mounted on said other base member and spaced sufficiently therefrom to receive an end latch portion of said member therebetween, when moved along said path to a closed position thereof relative to said other base member, a keeper on each of said cover member and said one base member, said keepers `determining respectively the closed and open positions of said latch member relative to said base members, and a keeper on said latch member alignable with said cover member and base plate keepers at said closed and opened positions respectively.

v2. In a loc-king mechanism, the combination comprising a pair of base plates, means for mounting said base plates adjacent the confronting edges of a doorway st-ructure which are to be secured against relative movement, a latch plate pivotally secured on one of said base plates for movement in a plane generally parallel to lthe other of said base plates when so mounted, a cover plate spacedly mounted on said other base plate and spaced sufiiciently therefrom to receive said end portion of said latch plate therebetween, a keeper on each of said cover plate and said one base plate, said keepers determining respectively the closed and open positions of said latch plate, and a keeper on said latch plate alignable with said cover plate and base plate keepers at said closed and opened positions respectively, at least one of said base plates being mounted on a pair of end brackets in spaced relation to said doorway structure, said end brackets having apertures therein for passage of an operating bar of panic hardware mounted on said doorway portion.

3. In a locking mechanism, the combination comprising a pair of base plates, means for mounting said base plates adjacent the confronting edges of a doorway structure which are to be secured against relative movement, a latch plate pivotally secured on one of said base plates for movement in a plane generally parallel to the other of said base plates when so mounted, a cover plate spacedly mounted on said other base plate and spaced sufficiently therefrom to receive an end portion of said latch plate therebetween, a keeper on each of said cover plate and said one base plate, said keepers determining respectively the closed and open positions of said latch plate, a keeper on said latch plate alignable with said cover plate and base plate keepers lat said closed and opened positions respectively, a closed legend on said one base plate and disposed to be covered by said latch plate at the open position thereof, and -an open legend on said latch plate disposed to be covered by said cover plate at the closed position of said latch plate.

4. In a locking mechanism, the combination comprising a pair of base plates, means for mounting said base plates adjacent the confronting edges of a doorway structure which are to be secured against lrelative movement, a latch plate pivotally secured on one of said base plates for movement in a plane generally parallel to the other of said base plates when so mounted, a cover plate spacedly mounted on said other base plate and spaced sufficiently therefrom to receive an end portion of said latch plate therebetween, a keeper on each of said cover plate and said one base plate, said keepers determining respectively the closed and open positions of said latch plate, a keeper on said latch plate alignable with said cover plate and base plate keepers at said closed and opened positions respectively, said pivotal securance including a stub shaft secured to said one base plate, said latch plate being rotatably mounted thereon, and spring biasing means contained in a recess enclosed between said latch plate and said one base plate for biasing said latch plate to said open position thereof.

S. In a locking mechanism, the combination comprisin-g a pair of base plates, means for mounting said base plates adjacent the confronting edges of a doorway str-ucture which are to be secured against relative movement, a latch plate pivotally secu-red on one of said base plates for movement in a plane generally parallel to the other of said base plates when so mounted, a cover plate spacedly mounted on said other base plate and spaced sulriciently therefrom to receive an end portion of said latch plate therebetween, a keeper on each of said cover plate and said one base plate, said keepers determining respectively the closed and open positions of said latch plate, a keeper on said latch plate alignable with said cover plate and base plate keepers at said closed and open positions respectively, said pivotal securance including a stub shaft secured to said one base plate and extending through an aperture in said latch plate, and a shield member secured to said stub shaft to retain said latch plate thereon.

6. =In a locking mechanism, the combination comprising a pair of base plates, means for mounting said base plates adjacent the confronting edges of a doorway structure which are to be secured against relative movement, a latch plate pivotally secured on one of said base plates for movement in a plane generally parallel to the other of said base plates when so mounted, a cover plate spacedly mounted on said other base plate and spaced sufficiently therefrom to receive `an end portion of said latch plate therebetween, a keeper on each of said cover plate and said one base plate, said keepers determining respectively the closed and open positions of said latch plate, a keeper on said latch plate alignable with said cover plate and base plate keepers at said closed and opened positions respectively, said pivotal securance including a stub shaft secured to said one base plate and extending through an aperture .in said latch plate, a shield plate secured to said stub shaft to retain said latch plate thereon, said shield plate protruding laterally of said base plate, and an open legend on said latch plate at a position adjacent said stub shaft but removed from said shield plate in vthe open position of said latch plate, said legend being covered by said shield plate .at the closed position of said latch plate.

7. In a locking mechanism, the combination comprising a pair of base plates, means for mounting said base plates adjacent the confronting edges of doorway structure which are to be secured against relative movement, a latch member pivotally secured on one of said base plates for pivotal movement'through a plane generally parallel to the other of said base plates whenso mounted, a cover pl-ate spacedly mounted on said other base plate at a position generally parallel thereto and to said one base plate, said cover plate being spaced sufciently from said other base plate to receive an end portion of said latch member therebetween, `a keeper on each of said cover plate and said one base plate, said keepers determining respectively Ythe closed and open positions of said latch member, and a keeper on said latch member alignable with said cover plate and said base plate `keepers at said closed and' opened positions respectively.

8. In a lookin-g mechanism, the combination comprising a pair of base plates, means for mounting said base plates adjacent the confronting edges of doorway structure which are to be secured against relative movement, a latch member pivotally secured on one of said base plates for pivotal movement through a plane generally parallel to the other of said base plates when so mounted, a cover plate spacedly mounted on saidV other base plate at a position generally parallel thereto and to said one base plate, said cover plate being spaced sufficiently from said other base plate to receive an end portion of said latch member therebetween, a keeper on each of said cover plate and said one base'plate, said keepers determining yrespectively the closed and ope-n positions of said latch member, and a keeper on said latch member alignable with said cover plate and said base plate keepers at said closed `and opened positions respectively, and biasing meansengaging said latch member for urging said latch member to one of said open and said closed positions.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,027,035 5/1912 Davidson et al. 292-281 X 1,201,848 10/ 1916 Merritt 292-205 X 1,312,931 `8/1919 Tenny et al. 292--205 1,479,117 1/ 1924 Trimmer 292-20-5 1,743,434 1/ 1930 Cramer 292-228 2,227,803 `1/1941 k Bales 70-432 X EDWARD C. ALLEN, Primary Examiner. RICHARD E. MOORE, Examiner. 

7. IN A LOCKING MECHANISM, THE COMBINATION COMPRISING A PAIR OF BASE PLATES, MEANS FOR MOUNTING SAID BASE PLATES ADJACENT THE CONFRONTING EDGES OF DOORWAY STRUCTURE WHICH ARE TO BE SECURED AGAINST RELATIVE MOVEMENT, A LATCH MEMBER PIVOTALLY SECURED ON ONE OF SAID BASE PLATES FOR PIVOTAL MOVEMENT THROUGH A PLANE GENERALLY PARALLEL TO THE OTHER OF SAID BASE PLATES WHEN SO MOUNTED, A COVER PLATE SPACEDLY MOUNTED ON SAID OTHER BASE PLATE AT A POSITION GENERALY PARALLEL THERETO AND TO SAID ONE BASE PLATE, SAID COVER PLATE BEING SPACED SUFFICIENTLY FROM SAID OTHER BASE PLATE TO RECEIVE AN END PORTION OF SAID LALTCH MEMBER THEREBETWEEN, A KEEPER ON EACH OF SAID COVER PLATE AND SAID ONE BASE PLATE, SAID KEEPERS DETERMINING RESPECTIVELY THE CLOSED AND OPEN POSITIONS OF SAID LATCH MEMBER, AND A KEEPER ON SAID LATCH MEMBER ALIGNABLE WITH SAID COVER PLATE AND SAID BASE PLATE KEEPERS AT SAID CLOSED AND OPENED POSITIONS RESPECTIVELY. 